User Experience Key to Unlocking Customer Loyalty in Retail

The influx of new technology in recent years has made it easier than ever for customers to flit between brands, so how are leading retailers fostering brand loyalty among their customers?

The answer lies in user experience.

Creating convenience

Creating a good user experience through new technology is nothing new to the leading retailers. But the drive to make purchasing faster and fuss-free is improving convenience for the customer and creating loyalty with the brands that are executing it best.

Amazon is leading the charge in the battle for customer convenience. One-click purchasing allows customers to save all their details so that goods can be ordered in just one click via their mobile app or web browser and coupled with their Amazon Prime delivery service, delivered just hours later. And if that’s not convenient, Amazon pick-up points, lockers, and partnership with 3rd party delivery services like Collect+ in the UK or UPS in the US mean that goods can be picked up at a location that best suits the customer.

And while many retailers are closing stores, Amazon is bringing the online convenience to brick-and-mortar with their Amazon Go checkout-free stores. Replicating the ease of their online purchasing, customers pay via their Amazon account with products being picked up monitored by in-store cameras to ensure customers pay the right amount.

The ability to complete these transaction so quickly and seamlessly keep Amazon’s customers coming back. Even if the items they are paying for are a little more expensive, (although Amazon is usually competitively priced), customers are valuing their time more, and would prefer a stress free experience rather than saving a few bucks.

In-store experiences

Retailers are using in-store technology to keep customers coming back. Tommy Hilfiger’s renovated store on London’s Regent Street is inundated with technology. This includes smart mirrors in the fitting rooms that recognize the clothes brought in by shoppers to try on, thanks to RFID tags, and suggest outfits based on this. In addition, the shop has digital ‘denim fit guides’ to help customers find the ‘perfect pair’ of jeans, and interactive windows that feature fruit-machine-like games that offer prizes. There are also terminals that allow product options not available in the store to be viewed and ordered for collection.

This high spec customer service is in-keeping with Tommy Hilfiger’s luxury brand and its customer’s high expectations. By making the in-store experience not only easier in terms of finding suitable items, but also more enjoyable, Tommy Hilfiger will keep their customers coming back again and again.

It’s all in the App

When US athletic retailer, Under Armour, purchased two of the most popular fitness apps, MyFitnessPal and Endomondo it put the retailer within easy reach of 165 million fitness fanatics, all with a high propensity to purchase sports wear.

Instead of using the apps and all the associated customer data as a sales tool, blasting emails to promote the Under Armour brand, or plastering them with advertising for the latest pair of sneakers, the retailer cleverly thought about the experience its customers would like to receive. Under Armour decided to use the platforms to promote the brand experience through content – for instance ensuring yoga instruction videos were shoppable and allowing users to book fitness classes through the app.

This strategy does not directly lead to conversion, but Under Armour knows the more people exercise, the more likely they will buy new workout gear, and if their app can offer a seamless user experience offering not just a quick buy, but facilitating a lifestyle, customers will stay hooked.

Find out more about Under Armour and other global retailers who are using UX to foster customer loyalty in our new eBook. Get it here: